The author teaches meteorology at the Georgia Institute of Technology. This story first appeared on April 23, 2026 in The Conversation and is reprinted here with permission. As of this morning, 80 percent of the “Railroad Fire” in Clay and Putnam counties had been contained.

By ZACHARY HANDLOS

Large parts of the southeastern U.S. are in the midst of an exceptional drought, and it is fueling dozens of wildfires in Florida and Georgia.

One of those wildfires, in southeastern Georgia’s Brantley County, had burned about 90 homes and had spread to more than 20,000 acres by April 27, 2026. Another fire near the Georgia-Florida border had burned more than 30,000 acres and about 35 structures. The smoke from the blazes triggered air quality alerts in Atlanta.

Why is a region of the U.S. more often known for thunderstorms and humidity in spring seeing so many wildfires?

I teach meteorology at the Georgia Institute of Technology, including how weather patterns can lead to conditions conducive to wildfires. Here’s what’s happening to drive these conditions.

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Key Ingredients

Wildfires need a few key ingredients to spread: low relative humidity, dry fuels and strong winds.

Much of the Southeast has been in a drought since July 2025. From mid-March to mid-April 2026, the region saw less than a quarter of its normal precipitation for that time of year.

As a result, the U.S. Drought Monitor classified most of this region in “extreme” or “exceptional” drought by mid-April.

Part of the reason for the lack of rainfall has been a persistent high-pressure system over the Southeast.

High-pressure systems are areas where air aloft sinks toward the surface, preventing clouds and precipitation from forming. The Southeast high-pressure system resulted from the presence of a “ridge” in the jet stream, a northward bend in this fast current of air several miles above Earth’s surface.

Another consequence of this high pressure has been the presence of generally southeast winds, which have transported warm and fairly dry air into the area.

The relative humidity—a measure of the amount of moisture in the air relative to the maximum amount the air can contain at its actual air temperature— has also been very low due to warmer-than-usual temperatures and lower-than-usual moisture.

As a result of these conditions, trees, grass and leaves dry out and can quickly become fuel for wildfires. That kind of dry fuel is widespread throughout rural areas of Georgia and north Florida.

Once a fire starts, whether from lightning, power lines or other human sources, strong winds can spread it rapidly in these conditions. Georgia fire officials said the largest fire in mid-April, near the Florida state line, started with a spark from welding equipment that ignited surrounding vegetation. They believe a mylar balloon hitting a power line sparked the fire that burned dozens of homes in Brantley County.

What’s Ahead?

As global temperatures rise, the frequency of drought conditions in the Southeast will increase. This, in combination with less soil moisture content in the summer, could be conducive for increased wildfire activity.

Wildfires do eventually burn out. It takes a combination of help from the atmosphere, with moisture to douse them, and firefighters clearing away dry fuel to stop their spread.

Georgia and Florida may get a reprieve soon from the weather, as multiple low-pressure systems are forecast for the region in late April and early May that could bring rainfall. In the meantime, more than half of Georgia’s counties are under a state of emergency, as several agencies battle the flames to protect homes with helicopters in the air and scores of firefighters on the ground.

As the 2026 local election cycle hurtles towards the primary elections, campaign finance filings reveal that Erin Skipper, a candidate for the Clay County School Board District 1, has raised substantially more money than her opponents in the early reporting period.

According to the filings, Skipper has received roughly $25,000 in contributions, far outpacing the other candidates tracked in the reports. Much of that support has come in the form of $1,000 checks from political action committees based outside Clay County, including:

• First Coast Conservatives

• Clay Conservatives

• Friends of Judson Sapp

• Friends of Traci Koster

• Protect Our Florida Values

Additional $1,000 donations arrived from local businesses and individuals in the Green Cove Springs and Orange Park areas, along with several $500 gifts from regional donors.

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Michael Rathjen, seeking a seat on the School Board in District 4, ranks second in total contributions, drawing roughly half as much as Skipper.

His support includes several $1,000 donations from family members and associates in North Carolina and Texas, as well as business contributions from property management and insurance firms in the broader Jacksonville region.

Rathjen has received no PAC dollars, despite a trip earlier this year to “Clay Day” in Tallahassee to court the favor of State Representatives Sam Garrison and Judson Sapp, and State Senator Jennifer Bradley.

Michele Hanson, also running for School Board District 4, has relied more heavily on smaller, recurring individual donations — often in the $25 to $100 range — from a core group of local supporters.

In the County Commissioner District 2 race, Lolita Isabel Mancheno-Smoak has attracted a geographically diverse set of individual donors, including contributions from Wisconsin, Georgia, New York, and several other states, though her overall totals remain lower.

Ashley Gilhousen and Gerald Beasley, candidates for School Board District 5, have each reported nearly all of their early funding as self-contributions or loans. Leroy Edwards, also running for County Commissioner District 2, has received comparatively modest support so far.

A notable portion of the money flowing into these races has come from outside Clay County. Skipper’s campaign stands out in this regard, with more than $12,000 — nearly two-thirds of her total — originating from PACs and donors based in Tallahassee, Tampa, Coral Gables, and other parts of Florida.

Rathjen has also drawn significant outside support, including several thousand dollars from personal and professional networks in Texas and North Carolina. Hanson and Smoak each received smaller amounts from outside the county, largely from individual donors and, in Hanson’s case, a single PAC contribution.

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The filings also show some overlap among donors. Susan Callahan of Green Cove Springs has contributed to both Skipper and Hanson, as have Lucas Wilhelm and Amber Freeman. Judith Chapple (sometimes listed with slight variations in spelling) has repeatedly given to Hanson and appears in filings for at least one other candidate.

The PAC known as Clay Conservatives has supported both Skipper and Hanson. These recurring names point to a relatively concentrated network of local and regional supporters who are backing multiple conservative-leaning candidates in the school board and county commission contests.

The current reports cover transactions through early 2025, and future filings are expected to show additional activity as the races develop.

Campaign finance data for Florida local races is publicly available through state and Clay County Supervisor of Elections offices.

On Sunday, sparks from a train ignited a fire in the woods of southern Clay County near the border with Putnam County. The Blaze has spread to over 3,000 acres across the two counties and has been dubbed “The Railroad Fire.”

First Responders from Clay, Putnam, and the Florida Forest Service have been working around the clock to contain the fire and evacuate people in its path.

While civilians have been asked to steer clear of the area, there is an opportunity for you to help the people doing the hard work of fighting the fire.

Tomorrow from 7 am to 7 pm, donations of water, sports drinks and snacks can be dropped off. These supplies will do directly to people tasked with putting the fire out.

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In a series of articles, Clay News & Views (CN&V) documented some of the appalling challenges that Clay’s fire rescuers must endure.

Within the series, CN&V also reported about an alarmingly high rate of post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, depression, and workplace burnout, along with other psychological conditions associated with their hazardous jobs. Florida, along with the nation, has passed legislation to enable local governments to make it easier, less costly, and more confidential for all first responders to access mental health resources.

In 2019, with encouragement from the legislature, fire rescue departments in other parts of the state began performing mental health surveys to ask first responders, “How are we doing?” and “What can we do better?”

For almost five years, Clay County’s Fire Rescue upper management chose not to do the mental health surveys, so the fire department’s union took the initiative to conduct an anonymous survey. Finally, the county performed its own survey in Oct. 2025. Both surveys were eerily similar—brutal for the department’s upper management.

The following are the full quotes from the union’s survey. Personnel were asked to “communicate” whatever they wanted regarding the stresses of their job. “The Floor is yours,” the survey said.

• I think it’s crazy that our fire chief bargains against us in the union contract agreements. This makes no sense and feels like a kick in the teeth by the person who is supposed to support us.

• At what point does someone in the food chain that is CCFR look at Jason Boree and tell him to stop making command decisions on scenes where he isn’t even present. Why are our engine officers and battalion chiefs walking around scared to death that an engine or ladder company might have to down an apparatus to ride in and help rescue and render aid, BECAUSE JASON BOREE CALLS AND YELLS AT THEM FOR IT!!!!! Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t know what Jason Boree wants, needs, and lack of good sound judgement was more important than the lives of the citizens we are here to serve. He has done it time and time again. Someone tell this toxic “Leader” that he isn’t seeing and isn’t in that situation to be able to make a decision if he’s not on scene!!! This is just the tip of crap we deal with on the street coming from admin. One day Boree is going to get someone killed, or a citizen killed. I mean that level of toxic operation already got a 16 year old stabbing victim killed when his Protege, BC (names redacted) did the same thing to R18 when transporting that 16 year old that had been stabbed, and instead of letting that crew use common sense and go to OPMC like they were going to, she ordered them to go to Wolfson’s and the kid was dead before they hit I-295.. That is the crap leadership we’re all referring to...it’s a cancer and Boree’s example to his buddy (name redacted) got a kid killed. I wonder how that young man’s family would feel if they knew this???? But, just like everything else at CCFR, admin gets to do whatever they want, with no standard, while the rest of us toe the line and do their bidding The admin at this department will be the reason someone eats a pistol one day, not the bad calls we go on, but the undue stress that these so called “leaders” put on us. That will be what causes that to happen, and if nothing is done after all these surveys are read...then that will tell everyone at #3362 that this county doesn’t care about the ones of us who work here.

• The issues with Logistics aren’t anything new. Where are all the second sets of bunker gear that we’ve been getting “sized for” several times or in the past 6 years? It seems like the only ones getting a second set are the new hires. So what admin is saying is that the cancer-causing elements we come across only affect them? Why can’t all of us have a second set? Why can’t Chief LeRoy ensure we have them? It seems that he is overwhelmed, or he is clueless, whatever the issue is, if any of us on the street did our job the same way logistics is run, Boree would be losing his mind demanding our termination. Make accountability a two-way street.

• The blatant favoritism and lack of leadership displayed by Motes and Boree is absolutely appalling, and totally unacceptable. Chief Motes has shown it recently with what would equate to gender discrimination against female firefighters. Eng (name redacted) because he is trying to bend and interpret policy with the accident she had. His disciplinary recommendation does not concur with policy. He hasn’t given the same recommendation for discipline with male firefighters, as he did with her. This is totally unacceptable. Boree is guilty as well. His favoritism and protection of Capt. (name redacted), and the way he coddles and covers for Chief (name redacted) incompetency is very obvious throughout CCFR. There have also been several investigations that were handed out to employees for “potentially” violating policy. Investigations handed down from Boree to (name redacted) to “take care of” that would never stand in any other job. There is also the issue with the open- ended investigations that can last as long as admin wants. There is ABSOLUTELY no reason for this to happen. Investigations last for months with absolutely no basis for them to last as long as they do. This causes undue stress on employees for investigations, the majority of which shouldn’t be taking place. There are aspects of this job that cause stress for us, the “bad calls”, but the majority of the stress we endure at CCFR is caused wholly by Motes and Boree’s absolute lack of leadership and the hostile work environment they embrace. It is for this reason that there are MANY in the department who feel it is time for a Vote of no confidence against Motes and Boree. If this was to happen then maybe someone high up in the county will finally understand how we feel, and they will do something about it. It is LONG overdue, Motes and Boree should’ve been terminated a long time ago.

• So as of late there have been employees written up for not bringing a Dr.’s note for calling out, the charge they get is insubordination. Even though they might have to shell out money to get that note. Why doesn’t CCFR have a Dr we can got to for these situations? and insubordination? but yet you have Chief LeRoy guilty of insubordination for not getting L1 equipment ordered when he was instructed to? So, insubordination only pertains to the crews on the street and not to admin chiefs?

• The biggest issue Operationally this department has is Logistics. How is it that this department can run efficiently when we don’t have the supplies to do it? For months now we have to beg for IV supplies from hospitals so we can give proper treatment to the community. We run out of medication that is front line meds for medical calls. Just to be told there is a “nationwide shortage”. That is a lie, many of us are married to nurses and other medical professionals, and personally know many of them too. They don’t have any issues with nationwide shortages for supplies. Then only to find out there was never an order placed, or to be told by guys working in logistics that LeRoy is holding off ordering supplies to save a .01% on every .10 cents spent. I get there is a budget, but there is a job we have to do, and that isn’t an excuse. I wonder how the local hospital’s logistic support would feel knowing we were causing them to spend MORE money because LeRoy is too incompetent or just plain cheap to give us the tools we need, in any other job he would be fired for failing to do his job, plain and simple. Another example of LeRoy failing at his job is Ladder 1. He was given an order by Chief Mock to order all the equipment to get L1 in service back in October. When that truck went online on Jan 31, 2024, there was nothing ordered for it. It was empty. How was he not written up for insubordination? That is the most cut and dry definition of disobeying an order, if it was anyone else below the rank of CHIEF that person would’ve been under investigation immediately with the recommendation from Boree for immediate termination. Accountability is a 2-way street. Every admin chief is guilty for allowing LeRoy to continue to be in dereliction of duty.

• First and foremost, I will say this. The only thing keeping this department together are the officers and senior engineers in this department, they are the true leadership this department has and needs right now, they protect their people as much as they can from the STUPIDITY that rolls down from admin. Admin in this department is toxic and failed. Theres no other way to say it, other than the reality of it.....FAILED leadership. That being said, the biggest issue that kills this department is MOTES, and BOREE. Chief Boree is the posterchild for a failed leader who uses his position and rank to intimidate his subordinates. Especially during discipline handed out. There have been several times that Chief Boree didn’t “think” an investigation went the way he “wanted” it to go, and in the process has TOLD investigating officers to change it to his liking. The most recent one he did it was Jake Erkenricher’s investigation for military leave. For some unknown reason he was targeted by Boree for using his military leave, he didn’t like that the investigation showed no wrongdoing, and wanted it changed in a matter that would have punished that firefighter, even though there was no wrong doing, that action alone should be enough for an investigation into Boree. How is behavior like that allowed? IN ANY OTHER JOB FIELD HE WOULD BE FIRED ON THE SPOT!!!!!! Yet if it’s one of his “boys” he shows favoritism. Like he did with Captain (name redacted) when he abused Telestaff and manipulated it to his liking to get more OT and caused others to lose that opportunity. Any other time when there is an investigation he recommends termination, even though there is a policy for progressive discipline for the department. How can he sit there and hold others accountable for SOP’s when he doesn’t even follow them himself? How is he allowed to continue to act in such an unprofessional and toxic manner? As for Motes, he’s honestly no different. Recently there was an investigation against (name redacted) based off an email written by Lt. (name redacted) , and Lt. (name redacted) claiming she was using narcotics, and attacking her job performance. What is weird though is that he took the role of investigating officer, when it is normally a BC who does investigations. Many wonder if he took the role because of his investigation because of the close relationship he has with LT. (name redacted) has been witnessed several times at 15 boasting that he can call Motes and get whatever he wants. Seems like favoritism. It’s funny though that even though LT (name redacted) made the accusations in his email statement about (name redacted), he told numerous individuals at 15 he in fact didn’t think she was using narcotics at all. So, was he coerced into making the statement? or was it a lie? In the accusations they based the narcotics statement because she was “scratching her face.” And what does MOTES do? Tries and diagnose her for another medical condition and blame anxiety for the issue. Is Motes a Dr. Now? Last time I checked he wasn’t. So how can he make a now FALSE accusation and put in a written reprimand? and make his own diagnosis? What kind of leader does that? In conclusion, these are just 2 of the issues CCFR has, and they rest solely on leadership. Leadership who is supposed to hold a standard, not just for us, but themselves. Yet they think they are above it themselves. Until those change, morale will be dead here.

• This is for the County Manager. This is the second survey we are filling out in order to get this department’s message of a broken culture, pride, and

• We can’t move forward if we don’t change the top. Motes says change starts at the bottom. How is this possible? It doesn’t matter what the starting pay is, or all the fancy station they want, if admin doesn’t change, this place will never change. This administration has worn out its welcome. The only brand-new station brought online in 20 years is Station 26. Station 11, 23, 24, and 20 already existed. In 20 years, they have built 1 fire station. We are not a small-town department in a Sunday evening movie. We are a fast-growing county, a thriving county that is behind the curve and now they are panicking to keep up. And we will be the ones to pay the price, not the administration. Stop letting them do this to us. They need to go. We don’t trust them. We don’t have confidence in them.

• The disrespect and mistreatment of employees has gone on for too long. The only way to change it is a replacement of Mock, Motes, Boree, and Leroy. They have forgotten where they come from. Especially Boree. He has cursed at employees and disrespected employees. He has no leadership ability. You can negotiate all the raises and incentive you want but it will not change who the admin chiefs are. This place is broken. If administration won’t rebuild it then the we need to.

• The department is run in poor manner. Bad discissions are being made when purchasing apparatus. New apparatus is being sent back to the manufacturer to have the axe and suspension upgraded. Why would it come from the factory not already built to our needs. We have a truck committee that is supposed to collectively make decisions to decide what fits our needs. As of now we have chiefs that decide how the trucks are built. The chiefs do not operate the trucks on a daily basis, they don’t see the issues we have. Money is not only being spent on the build but also on the additional cost of having the truck upgraded so it can handle the weight. Ordering items for our truck has become difficult and very untimely. When something is ordered we don’t get a response back saying it’s been ordered or when it will be here. It just never shows up. Medical supplies have been difficult to get. We have been told since COVID that there are supply chain problems. How much longer are we going to be told this? It doesn’t appear anyone else has supply chain issues. We will receive half of what we request. It’s an embarrassing conversation in front of a patient when you can’t do something because you don’t have the correct medication or correct size IV that’s appropriate. It not only puts patients at risk but employees too. Blatant favoritism for discipline is difficult to watch. You hear of people getting away with stuff but then you see someone under investigation for something as petty as not having a sick note. Someone being late to work for the first time is put under investigation. The administration micromanages to a point that the battalion chiefs can’t even take care of issues at a station level. One battalion chief can’t even make a decision on her own. She constantly calls Chief Boree, which then leads to a larger issue, investigation, stress, resentment etc. When an employee spends most of his time at the breakfast table talking about Chief Motes and their personal relationship, it sucks. “David this...” David that...’‘ “Motes this...” “ Motes that. “, it gets old. We not only grow to extremely dislike that person but DO NOT TRUST THEM. It becomes obvious when Chief motes makes a phone call to that person when the engine officer is present and issues orders through that person but will not go through the officer on scene. We would be chastised for violation of chain of command. Please stop hiring Jacksonville people if you are just going to fast track them for promotion. Lt. (name redacted) explained this to a Jacksonville fireman. Clay County waited to do a C and a D promotion list to get the Jacksonville guys promoted and went on to say he will be the next Safety Officer as that spot has been promised to him. At least do a better job at hiding favoritism. Sure, we’re firemen, but we aren’t that stupid. Chief Motes says he has read all these books on leadership, It doesn’t show. We want to be firemen. We want to be firemen on and off the job. But here. when I leave work, I don’t want to be a fireman. At work I only want to be it when I’m helping those that truly need it. Local 3362...good luck with the administration. It’s known that you’ll never beat them. They don’t care about us. They care about themselves and how they will look to their higher ups. They will keep piling things on those that are already going through a difficult time. It’s not work that’s stressful, its working for our administration. We don’t trust our administration. We no longer have confidence in them. We need to redirect our energy to ourselves. If they won’t take care of us and look out for us then we need to do it ourselves.

• Chief Motes has his department and Chief Boree has his department. Boree does things that Motes finds out about after the fact. why? The lack of communication between them is terrible and their offices are next to each other. It’s a common belief that Boree will do whatever he wants, and we are left to try to plead our case. His relationship with (name redacted) allows her to do whatever she wants and make her own set of rules. Nobody wants to share personal business with her because she has made comments in the past about people going through a difficult time that are offensive to people. Boree has zero compassion for people. Every investigation is recommended the most severe punishment. He doesn’t want any of us here. He wants to punish to the fullest extent. How has nobody in the administration not seen this? Who holds him accountable???? Boree and Motes stack everything they can find when discipline is issued, you can have a write up from 20 years ago and be a stellar employee and they will throw it in with the investigation and try to apply more discipline. We are not allowed to make mistakes. We will be punished to the fullest. We will be issued the harshest punishment they can get away with. Who wants to work for chiefs like this? Who wants to come back to work? Is it pleasurable to punish your own employees? It’s like they have to remind us of who our master is. But when it’s all said and done, you get nothing. absolutely nothing but a story to tell everyone else how they stuck it to you. Leadership is lacking in this department. Leadership at the top is lacking. Asking for sick notes must make Boree feel good because he can open an investigation on you and talk about how swamped they are with all this work and then issue more discipline. I’m wondering how many people would not be able to get another job just because of the investigations in their personnel files. Admin seems to keep our personnel files fresh with investigations. If a random person looked at all the investigations here it would appear that clay has the most undisciplined employees ever. How is Boree and Motes going to let a captain get away with a slap on the wrist for manipulating Telestaff? He did it for his own financial gain!!!!! He figured out how to stay at the top of the overtime list by manipulating his hours. How’s is this a slap on the wrist. Its fraud. He screwed his fellow employees. Admin lost a lot of faith from employees on this one. You really showed your true colors. But at the end of the day hardly any of this goes anywhere... If an employee is going through a hard time in their personal life and is affects their work, you just add more on them. You keep piling and piling till they break. You can’t leave stuff alone and recognize the signs when someone is struggling? And don’t expect us to tell you. We know that some way we will be punished, investigated, or transferred. You will keep piling and piling it on us. but we will turn to our brothers. We will turn to our union. They give us an opportunity to vent, get help, and give us guidance. The union has leaders that will lead and mentor our young ff as well as those that have worked here for a while. We have no trust in the administration. We have no confidence in administration. We are asking the union to please help with this as they can. LACK. OF. LEADERSHIP. LACK. OF. CARE.

• E-board, stay focused on us, the members. Don’t get wrapped up grieving every little thing. It’s a distraction from what is truly important. And to you, that’s the members. Communicate with the members, get out and come see us. We look forward to seeing and hearing from our e-board. Everything else... The guys on the street have to share a vision with administration. Admin wants “buy in”, well that comes through communication, fair treatment across the board, and support from administration. Administration has no communication among each other. It’s often asked if Chief Motes even knows what Chief Boree is doing. The answer is no. Often Chief Mock doesn’t even know what his deputy chiefs are doing. We can see this. And when we see it, buy in is not an option. You can keep telling us and giving the “buy in” talk to your captains, but just remember we are not the dumb firemen you think we are. E15, who was in charge of this design and who signed off on it? Who wanted everything loaded on E15 after being told it was OVERWEIGHT. Why was E22 sent to the dump to be weighed in hopes it had a higher Gross Vehicle Weight and considered that it should be swapped with E15 which was overweight. After many repairs and money spent it was finally sent back and had another axle put on it that could hold more weight. It was sent back to the county WITHOUT a weight certification and sent to the station for it to be swapped into. It wasn’t weighed before hose was loaded. It didn’t have a spec plate with a gross vehicle weight. But our chiefs ordered our personnel to load the truck. Why is Chief Boree taking the lead of E15? Why did he approve the purchase if it didn’t meet our needs, how much more money was spent to get the truck where it needed to be? If we have a truck committee, why hasn’t it been utilized in the purchase of several engines and rescues. Chief (name redacted) gives orders without thinking of the consequences. If E15 is overweight and is involved in an accident, FHP will hold the driver accountable if it’s overweight. Not the Battalion Chief, not the Operations Chief, not the Logistics Chief. Why would the Operation Chief order us to operate an unsafe vehicle? How much money was spent on making E15 road worthy? Clay County signed a contract with the manufacture accepting the design and finish product. Please STOP ordering apparatus without consulting your Truck Committee. And to say that “it doesn’t matter what the truck committee wants, we’re going to do it our way.” is wrong and condescending. Who designed E15? Who accepted E15? Who kept trying over and over to solve this issue with as little attention as possible? Maybe since E15 and E22 are sister trucks, whoever designed E15 had an idea that a problem was on the horizon and had E22 built with a smaller tank to avoid issues we’ve had with E15. Investigations- I truly feel sorry for those having been under investigation. If investigations are unfounded by the investigating officer, it’s pretty well known that administration will find something. They can’t seem to accept that a competent unbiased investigation was done, and nothing was found. In the end, Chief Motes or Boree with find something. It’s like it’s their mission to find and punish EVERY SINGLE PERSON. Why does CHEIF BOREE tell Battalion Chiefs to change their findings on investigations if he doesn’t like what they conclude? This has been going on multiple occasions. For someone to get a fair and unbiased investigation is far from the truth as long as Chief Boree is involved. The perception is that he wants to punish and fire everyone. The ongoing joke is that “He can’t fire all of us...but he’ll sure try.” In a legal investigation, his interference or persuasion with the investigation would have him immediately removed and consequences would be issued to him. But here in kangaroo court, it’s perfectly fine. Chief Boree’s favoritism towards Capt. (name redacted) was a gross demonstration of his favoritism. Chief Motes took an interest in the investigation instead. Why wasn’t a Battalion Chief assigning this investigation like they are assigned any other investigation? Capt. (name redacted) was caught manipulating the automated staffing system to his benefit. It was manipulated so it would not call him certain days, and he could stay at the top of the overtime list. This adversely affected other employees’ ability to get overtime. This also benefited Capt. (name redacted) monetarily in his paycheck and his retirement. His discipline was less than appropriate. All the other employees watched this investigation closely. It was recognized how it was handled from start to finish. It seems that its Chief Boree’s mission and goal to issue the harshest punishment he can. To inflict the most demoralizing pain and cause as much emotional stress as he can. YES, we have rules, we have policy, we have a contract, but what we don’t have is an Operation Chief that is a mentor. We don’t have an Operation Chief that realizes we are human and are subject to poor judgment. We have a dictator like Operations Chief. We have an Operations Chief that has anger issues. We have an Operations Chief that has forgotten where he has come from. We would rather avoid going to the EOC at any cost. Avoid him on a scene. We would rather not have to have any interaction with him if at all possible. Chief Motes and Chief Boree want robots. But robots we are not. we are human. we are subject to mistakes, bad decisions, bad choices, bad judgment. Humans have leaders and mentors throughout their lives. When is the last time our chiefs mentored anyone? And not with a talk about buy in. If you want to buy in from the street, they have to know what’s for sale. To describe our relationship with the admin chiefs to the street, it’s best described as a disconnect. You could go as far to say that it’s an abusive relationship as well. What we see on the street, the apparatus we operate, our work and living condition are all daily topics around the fire station. The Chiefs are so far disconnected from us they have no clue. And nobody wants to say anything in fear of retaliation. Either through being sent to a rescue or sent to the furthest station they can banish you to. To say rescue is not punishment is an absolute LIE. We’re constantly living under their thumbs, and they keep piling it on us. You have an employee going through a difficult time and you continue to hammer and hammer till they are completely destroyed mentally and emotionally. And when they go home to eat that bullet you’ll just say “ geeze, that’s terrible...” Would any of the chiefs let their families live in the condition we do? Mold, crowded stations, crowded bathrooms, substandard repair work from contractors and county maintenance, residential appliances. Sta.14 stove is a joke, smaller than the one they had. Sta, 13 cooking in the bay while the station was under construction for mold. You let them eat where the vehicle exhaust exits the vehicle??? Was an exposure report done for everyone stationed there? You let the dish water drain into the parking lot. That is considered grey water. How did the department of health let them get away with that? It happened with our chief knowledge. Chief Motes, Chief Boree. and Chief Leroy. To say that Mental Health is a priority to our admin chiefs is like cutting your arm off and saying it’s not bleeding. Chief Motes appears to have taken an interest in his people’s mental health. Chief Boree acts as if it’s another way for the employees to get out of doing things they don’t want. Our fight against cancer causing chemicals...Doesn’t seem like Chief Boree is very interested. We explore the option of new uniforms, and he sarcastically calls our current uniform “cancer causing uniforms”. He’s made several comments. Does he not take it seriously? Because the guys on the street do. We live in it. Is our safety and future not a concern to him? Cause to everyone’s spouse on the street it is a concern. The distance between the disconnect of the street and the admin is such that the guys on the street will always be guarded, they will always feel the Chief Boree is out to get them, and Chief Motes isn’t far behind. Stations in disrepair. Station 15 looks terrible. The residence of Lake Asbury loves their fire station, but it looks like a used fire truck lot. Why does the administration pinch pennies when it comes to the station repairs. Your people live in these buildings. We live in them every day. Why are we going with the lowest bidder and not someone that is reputable and can deliver a good quality finished product. Supplies/Logistics- WHY CAN WE GET THE NECESSARY MEDICAL SUPPLIES. It’s been proven that the shortage we were told about wasn’t actually a shortage. The surrounding counties had the supplies that we were told was unavailable, including some medication. but for some reason Clay County couldn’t get it. If we don’t have a medication or item to perform on scene and the patient has a bad outcome the first person to blame will be the guys on the street. Rescues take whatever they can from the hospital to offset what we are not receiving from logistics. Tegaderm, flushes, IV catheters, syringes etc. How are we supposed to do our jobs without essential equipment. If we have a shortage of supplies, then why doesn’t anyone else? When we order 30 IV catheters, why are we being sent 20? We have rescues that run 15 to 20+ calls a day and we are only sent a portion of what we order. The medical supply orders are for the engines and rescues. But yet we are questioned by Chief Leroy why we order so much. The call volume speaks for itself. Just another instance of the disconnect. Why are we getting question why we are ordering so much epinephrine? We are growing, we are busier than we ever have been, and we are only getting busier. I wonder what the admin would say if it was their family member that we didn’t have the correct medication or enough of the medication for. I wonder how they would feel if it were their family member. It takes weeks, sometimes several months to get new uniforms. If we are requesting new pants and shirts, it’s because we needed it a week ago. Chief Leroy waits till he has a large order before he orders. Meanwhile we are getting questioned by our battalions why we are wearing torn or faded uniforms. Why did Ladder 1 sit at logistics for so long with no equipment? It was delivered on December 7th. No equipment ordered, no nothing. WHY? Why are we using dilapidated old equipment from a spare engine. Why did Chief Leroy not order equipment when he was told to? How is this not insubordination? The Ladder is in service today and still no new equipment. Everyone on the street is watching and clearly sees what’s going on. Why has nobody received any training on Ladder 1. Not a single person from the manufacturer has come to talk about basic operations, its capabilities, or limitations. BUT if one of us tear it up, it will be our fault. We are in March and can’t order uniforms. Why? If the new uniform has been chosen, why have we not been fitted for new one yet? Whose responsibility is this? What do we have to do to change this? We have local stores we should be able to go get work pants from. GT Distributers, 5.11 Tactical, both local stores in Orange Park and Jacksonville. These stores may not be the answer, but they are options. Why don’t we have a stock of uniforms and belts. boots. t-shirts etc.? We are always offered to go upstairs in logistics and see if we can find some old turned in uniforms. Is this how you take care of your people. If your people don’t have the necessary items to perform the task at hand, YOU are setting them up for failure. The mechanics try their hardest to keep up with us. We appreciate them. Bucky is an asset, hardworking and very dedicated. However, we feel like he being ran over by Chief Leroy. Why can’t Bucky run logistics? Why can’t Lt. Miller? Why can’t Lt. Smith? Is it because they will refuse to be micromanaged? You have nothing to lose by hiring a logistics supervisor from within. You have everything to gain. Someone that knows the system, knows what the apparatus on the street, knows and is familiar with our supplies and equipment. It looks like you posted an open position so you could check a box. Not ever having any real intention of hiring from within. Why are the admin chiefs so hung up on sick notes. It’s come to a point that the silliness from Chief Boree is becoming comical and ridiculous. Sick notes are a PAY TO PLAY. The policy gives guidelines for which a sicknote is required. Now the Battalion Chiefs have been given directions by Chief Boree to ask for sick notes non-discriminately, for any reason. We don’t always need to go to the ER or urgent care center to be seen. We can self-medicate at home for less than a co-pay or ER bill. If I call out sick, I have to pay the co-pay to play the game. But Chief Boree is so determined and seems to be looking for a reason to come after us. It takes 3 weeks for me to get a doctor’s appointment with my primary doctor. Why would I want to go see a doctor or nurse I’m not familiar with. Not all the Battalions ask for a doctor’s note. But if you ask certain Chiefs, they say they have consistency across the board....WRONG Why are the surrounding counties building fire stations and we are struggling to get 1 up????? We don’t need 9-million-dollar stations. We don’t need multiple rescues in a station. We need good quality fire stations. We don’t need a state-of-the-art fire station. Just give me something better than 13, 14, or 15. We need MORE fire stations. To tell the public we are building new stations is a fib at best. We are rebuilding and relocating. We need more fire stations. Why doesn’t Green Cove St.20m have a rescue? You absolutely wear out Rescue 22 and rescue 24. Rescue 1 shouldn’t be going to Green Cove to sit all day just to say Green Cove has rescue. You do the citizens of the City of Green Cove Springs a disservice by making them wait extended time for a transport unit. When Rescue 24 and Rescue 22 are on a call, Rescue 15 from Lake Asbury or rescue 25 from Camp Blanding are the next due units to arrive, this is absolutely absurd. Are you afraid to put a rescue in Green Cove because you think the commissioners won’t let you build a new station if they see you can put one at the current station? Green Cove needs a rescue, the citizens in Green Cove Springs deserve one. Why does every other station have a rescue but not Green Cove? Station 1 has a rescue and it’s not even built yet.

• Extracurricular activities

• I am incredibly concerned with talks circulating the county that the E-Board is going to negotiate to a 24/72 schedule. The funds it would take to finance this expensive proposal will cut into the pockets of our employees. Rather than taking that extra funding and stretching it thinner, we need to be negotiating for those funds to go more towards paying who we already have. We already only work 10 days a month, I would much rather be paid more for those 10 before rather than showing up even less. The 24/72 proposal is tone deaf and comes across as lazy to people who already see us as working an easy schedule, which we do.

• Admin needs to communicate and have a better plan for the future of CCFR.

• Just want to say thank you. Stay on them. Keep pushing for all the things we need to keep us safe and healthy.

• Listen to officers and make changes

• More communication

• Would like to see fair treatment from all chiefs, even bc’s.

• Need more info on plans for county. Too many transfers

• I would like for training positions to be able to train unimpeded by busy work. It feels like we’re wasting talent. I’d be nice if we could feel pride in the condition of our stations. Most feel run down.

• All these new medical policies place an unrealistic expectation on medics. To perform these in the clinical setting is far different than in the settings we find ourselves in every day. It would be nice to see some latitude given when learning opportunities are presented as opposed to making mistakes always punitive. It creates an environment where people are hesitant to act in fear of failure or judgement.

• I have watched Chief Motes play games with people for years. If he doesn’t like you, he doesn’t approve classes or time off for folks to attend training to improve in their roles. In some cases, he makes it almost impossible for some people who are fantastic firefighters to advance just because he doesn’t like them. He’s made it to where some people have had to come out of pocket to pay for their own training because he doesn’t think they need it but will then approve it for others without issue. If complaints are filed against him those individuals find themselves at the worst stations. He’s also made it to where more senior ranking employees don’t get the apparatus they’ve earned, but instead they’ll give them to very inexperienced junior officers that don’t have the expertise. Motes sometimes goes out of his way to target folks that he doesn’t like. If they don’t leave on their own, he finds ways to get rid of them. We have lost so many great people because of our lack of leadership and how they go after people. When we think we can go up the chain and get help from Mock it just circles back to Motes and we get retaliated against for going around the chain. Even if we haven’t. It seems like they also tell the Co Mgr. what he wants to hear to keep their noses clean whether it’s the truth or not. Motes never has his AVL on which is a violation of policy. If any of us in the field did that we would be punished immediately, but he can do it without any issue. What is he hiding and why hasn’t anything been done to fix it? We don’t have a chief. We have office politicians. They don’t support us. They don’t help us. We don’t even know if half the time Motes is even working. His office is at the EOC and yet he is never there, but his vehicle also isn’t at admin. Do we need to discuss the mold infested stations or has that already been covered enough? How long do we need to endure these conditions before enough is enough? How is this acceptable by any standards? At the end of the day, we need new leadership. Not the continued empty promises of the poisonous snakes we currently have. They’re both eligible to retire. Let them. We need leadership that cares about our wellbeing and listens to our voices and not the kind that will listen, act like they care and then stab you in the back on your way out the door. This has gone on for far too long and it needs to change.

• More communication never can be enough. Who is on support team

• The chiefs for this department treat it like it’s their own little club. Unless you are one of their favorites then you are treated as a number and not an employee. The personal aspects should be left out and they should concentrate on being fair. Rumor has it that Chief (name redacted) is one of the chief’s relatives and it’s pretty obvious the favoritism she receives.

• The targeting, favoritism, harassment and lack of respect from administration is blatant. Administration is not held responsible for their actions. Inconsistency in discipline due to favoritism (example: Capt. (name redacted) Telestaff incident / (name redacted) decision with 13yo that died after stabbing) no discipline? Scratch a truck backing it up and they go for extreme punishment.

• Chiefs 1, 2, and 3 need to go. This department will never change until they are gone. This department will always be the laughingstock of northeast Florida.

• Plans for future fire stations, with details.

• What is the vision for the future of the fire department and timeline, stations, personnel, growth, etc.

• Needs to be a vote of no confidence on Chiefs 1, 2, and 3. The mismanagement of this department in preparing it for the massive growth coming along with the First Coast Expressway is not safe for us or the citizens. The fact Chief 1 hasn’t been Chief 1 for years because he would rather play county manager or politician is a spit in the face to everyone in the department. Let’s also not forget the massive mold debacle of stations 13, 15, 17, and 23 and the fact there are still AC problems in multiple stations. Time for fresh leadership and leadership with a vision for growth!!

• Keep up the good work.

• Have the next in line Fire Chief survey his employees or clean house...Maybe try and find a way to get input from upper ranking members that won’t speak due to retaliation...yes, we know that’s what happens and why many stay silent!!

• I have worked here for 12 years, and I have never been so unhappy with the role administration in my career affecting my mental/physical health.

• Admin chiefs don’t appear to communicate with each other as well to station level employees. Try to eliminate unnecessary call volume (nursing homes, clay electric/utility calls) Mandatory OT issues 24/72 schedule!!!!

• At what point do administrative chiefs receive disciplinary action for not doing their job? Logistics is a complete mess as we have to beg, borrow and steal supplies from other units or hospitals but yet there is no accountability for them. If we don’t do our job, we are held to a standard and investigated and mostly recommend for termination (Boree) so at what point does something happen to them? There are plenty of emails and evidence that they fail to do their jobs and yet they cover for each other. Just pull emails sent from Lt. (name redacted) about logistics and calling out Chiefs not doing their reports for days, but we get called when they aren’t done in hours. Double standards, lack of communication from top down (because everything seems to be a secret), discipline seems to change based on whether they like you or not, not held to same standards across the board whether street or administration.... This all creates frustration, lack of confidence in our administration, stress, and low morale. We need change and that starts from the top.

• Thanks for all you guys do and the time you invest for the members.

• I just want to address some things I’ve seen lately, and it drives me crazy, and I’ve been guilty of it too, but one day I said enough is enough I need to start helping make a change. This issue I’m bringing up was a part of my decline in mental health because several times I heard from others of how I failed to do something as expected, yet that leader never made the expectations clear, or followed up to correct issues. This is a long one, I’m sorry but I hope you all read most of it. Maybe this will change one day with others. To the Officers and Engineers, if you’re crew isn’t meeting your expectations whether normal crew or not, don’t hint around about what’s wrong or go talk trash to others about them. Instead let’s be transparent, open and honest so that person knows where they need to hustle up and fix the issue. Too many people (Officers and Engineers too) in our dept complain about someone lacking in an area but never seem to want to lend a hand to mentor and fix the issue. This is supposed to be the “best Damn job in the world”, and it always will be. But many of us make others miserable by our lack of mentoring the ones who might just need a little tune up or checking on to make sure something isn’t hindering them from giving 100%. Many of us love this career and take our jobs serious so let’s make it a better place by being open and honest, and compassionate about making sure our less senior members are on track with how things are supposed to be done on calls and back at the station.

• I’ve never experienced such a lack of respect and communication from top management as I have working here. And the favoritism towards BC (name redacted) is inappropriate and obvious.

• Command Counseling has been awesome and beneficial to my family. I think management is doing a lot better than they used to. There seems to be little accountability for Logistics, and they don’t communicate with us at all.

• Ronnie is the superstar of this union. It seems like he does EVERYTHING. Whatever it takes, we need his leadership to steer this ship. We do what it takes to keep him as VP or Pres. The rest of the board is invisible.

• Leroy is the largest problem with every aspect of logistics.

• We need to look into medical cannabis like other departments .... Rumors of town of op.

• I appreciate the initiative and hard work the E board is putting in for our mental health!

• Doctor’s notes can be asked to see if sick leave is being abused, without violating HIPAA I believe, but why do that if when it’s a family member, it’s looked over since it’s basically impossible. Why can a captain that took advantage of access to Telestaff to make more money/take engine spots for OT still be able to act as TR603. Why are step up engineers taking most of the discipline in a backing incident and the officer in charge doesn’t see any reprimand. How is it okay to let an obviously below par paramedic with obvious lack of skills or knowledge be able to still act as an officer with no remedial training. Why does chief Boree not see a problem with how he micromanages and how it kills morale. Why are people that can’t pump an engine still able to step up or promote without any extra training. Why is training basically nonexistent in fire and EMS aside from what LT. Ingram has done. Do the chiefs believe nothing is wrong and that they are doing a great job (communicating their side of things would be nice). Why do we have an engine with no 5-inch due to a weight limit that is already exceeded based on design and why did a crew on that engine get in trouble for not laying a supply line when the tender was in front of them at the fire (shouldn’t the tender be able to move for dump tank operation or shuttle?) Why was it okay for the first in rescue to see the burned victim and continue to fight fire while the victim waited for the next rescue to come. Why are chiefs holding us to a higher standard than themselves and reprimanding others on policy violations that they do not follow? Who do they answer to when they violate policy? If the admin chiefs see no improvement in their crews, why do they keep making the same choices expecting a different outcome (constant write ups instead of training). Why are the sheriff’s office boats at 15 in an air-conditioned trailer under the awning while the woods truck goes in for repairs to sit in the sun all day? Why is “good copy” not accepted for radio traffic for one individual yet no one else sees consequences (or at least threats of write ups). How is that even fair if the sheriff’s office says it every other word on the radio? When will we get solid answers from the chiefs and when will they really show they care about our opinions?

• You guys do a great job, I don’t envy you, it takes time & patience that I don’t have.

• We need more stations, more personnel, more trucks, and/or more pay. Would also be nice to look at the possibility of transitioning to a 24/72 work schedule. It seems as though we are getting busier by the day. And with departments like Gainesville going to 24/72’s, Jacksonville potentially switching to FRS and St. John’s paying sign on bonuses if we want to retain quality employees and stay competitive, we need something to make our department stand out.

• I would like the union to look into the 24/72 schedules.

• Rescue 20

• I would not say “our schedule” is a stressor. But I do think going to a 24/72 shift schedule will help relieve stress and allow for better body recovery.

• This seems to be an unfair workplace for some but obvious that others are favored.

• Let just bypass all the BS and go straight to the problem Motes and Boree Motes doesn’t give a damn about his firefighters or their families. His recent comments and attitude towards mandatory ot for single parents is evidence enough to say that. And in the real world, evidence enough to remove him from his position based on his lack of give a damn for the people under him. Total failed leadership. Not to mention his blatant favoritism, (name redacted) is a prime example of that. Hell (name redacted) comes to work bragging about the pull he has with motes, and tells everyone absolutely it, like we’re supposed to be scared of him. And as for Boree. That’s a given. How in the hell departments all around Clay are getting rid of toxic chiefs left and right through their unions and we can’t? Fix the problem 3362. You all know what the issue is. Fix it and you fix morale.

• I strongly believe that there is a definitive disconnect between admin and the street level.

• Chiefs have become “Bullies”, micro-managing, there is blatant favoritism and also unfair treatment, targeting, harassment and lack of communication. These issues cause a decline in morale and an increase in stress.

• There is a huge disconnect between chiefs 1-2-3 As far as how things are going, what’s being done little alone disseminated down to the stations.

• Captains should have more say on transfers and things that involve their station or crews.

• I appreciate the ability to utilize command counseling services for my family. I feel that it has significantly helped. Secondly, I hope we as a union are still working towards establishing guidelines to make marijuana use acceptable. While it is not the best way to cope with stress it certainly outweighs others in terms of overall health. Thank you for your time.

• The biggest source of stress at work comes from Administration. The lack of communication about most things leaves me wondering what is going on. (Except for new or updated SOPs and other things that I can get into trouble for). This leads to rampant rumors which cause confusion. When information is communicated, different information is given by each Chief and often contradicts previous information. Also, the constant transfer of personnel without any reason given causes constant stress of getting to know new crew and Officers. It also causes stress from wondering if someone did something wrong. Obvious favoritism when it comes to punishment, treatment and assignments is another cause of stress. Lastly, the constant fear of getting transferred to a Rescue or busy Rescue after making a mistake or disagreeing with Admin or angering them in some way causes additional stress. Not to mention the completely transparent lie that “Rescue is not a punishment”.

• I feel like we go through phases of communication through the union. Sometimes it gets trickled down, sometimes not. Management sucks, management blatantly takes advantage of us and claims it’s operational necessity. As a union there has to be some sort of fight against this. Clay would be a great place to work if we got new management which I know is a whole job to fix but just saying. As a union I think we are strong I would just like more consistency on communication. I can’t remember the last time my steward for station 25 reached out or anyone from the e board.

• Administration needs to quit living in a vacuum. Keep the rank and file updated with anticipated station builds, new hire classes, fleet replacement, anything! Get out of the office once in a while and go talk to the crews on the street. Come have a cup of coffee and actually lead from the front and show you care about us instead of acting like it. Bring the County Commissioners out so they can see and hear for themselves what our days are like. Stop micromanaging. Trust your BC’s and officers to get the job done. If it isn’t broke, don’t fix it!

• We need an office person to be the liaison between the administration and the union. We are getting too big to take work our shifts and handle union stuff. Things are getting dropped through the cracks.

• Stewards should be coming by the stations occasionally, across all shifts. Never seen mine. Proud to be a part of Local 3362 and grateful for our E-board and other members who continue to make our union and department stronger as a whole.

• Having adequate pay to support myself and my family. Having sufficient resources on the job to reduce demand on myself and my crew and subsequent fatigue.

• Get rid of chief 1 2 and 3 so we can actually better this department.

• Keep up the strong work!

• My deep disappointment and concern about the state of leadership within the Clay County Fire Rescue Department. The morale is at an all-time low, and the inconsistency in discipline and accountability, as well as the blatant favoritism, are harming our department. The actions and attitudes of Chief David Motes, Chief Jason Boree, and Chief Charley Leroy are at the heart of these problems.

Morale and Leadership Failures

Under the current leadership, the morale within our department has plummeted. The inconsistency in discipline and accountability, where rules are applied differently depending on personal relationships, has created a toxic work environment. Those who are close friends with certain leaders, like Jason Boree, are protected from consequences for serious policy violations. For example, manipulated the staffing system for personal gain and received only a letter of counseling because of his close relationship with Jason Boree and the investigating battalion chief related to chief Boree. Such things undermine the trust of our department and demoralize those who uphold their duties.

Favoritism and Incompetence

The favoritism shown by our leadership is not just a breach of professional ethics; it is a direct attack on the principles of fairness and justice that are supposed to guide our department. Deputy Chief Charley Leroy, despite his repeated failures, such as neglecting to order crucial equipment for new apparatus, faces no repercussions. In stark contrast, rank-and-file are severely penalized for minor infractions like calling out sick. This double standard is not only unfair but also demoralizing.

Impact on Mental Health

The mental health impact of this poor leadership cannot be overstated. We often talk about PTSD and other stress- related conditions caused by incidents beyond our control. However, much of our stress is caused by the actions within our own department: the vindictiveness, discrimination, favoritism, and exclusion perpetuated by our leaders. Chief Motes’ recent statement on a mental health podcast, claiming that a vote of no confidence was narrowly avoided only because of the introduction of command counseling, is proof of admission of the major leadership failures. In reality, a vote should have taken place long ago.

Mental Health and Poor Leadership

There’s really little focus on the mental health effects of poor leadership. We tend to talk a lot about PTSD because we can blame that on an incident beyond our control, but we don’t talk about the root of the majority of stress that causes us issues: vindictiveness, discrimination, favoritism, and exclusion. When leaders intentionally prevent you from contributing, it creates a mental torture for dedicated employees.

We want to do our jobs, contribute, and make a difference. However, the enthusiasm, professionalism, and competence of dedicated employees are seen as threats to those who are complacent, selfish, or incompetent. Because of this, good employees come under attack and are pulled back down by those who feel exposed.

Call for Accountability

Chief David Motes and Chief Jason Boree, through their actions and lies, have not only failed as leaders but have also actively harmed the careers and well-being of many individuals within this department. Their incompetence and unethical behavior are cancers to our organization. The comment made by Motes, “We are not trying to Jew you,” and the lack of punishment that followed, is proof of the deeply rooted problems.

It is time for a thorough and impartial review of the leadership within Clay County Fire Rescue. Those who have abused their positions of power must be held accountable. The department deserves leaders who are committed to fairness, transparency, and the well-being of everyone, not managers we need Leaders! Not micromanagers.

We are here to serve and protect our community. To do so to the fullest, we need leaders who inspire confidence, respect, and dedication. It is my opinion that Chief Motes and Chief Boree should seek employment elsewhere, as their continued presence only serves to undermine the values and mission of Clay County Fire Rescue.

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Fair food is an adult’s wonderland. Whatever you like, it will be made better deep-fried. As a child, it was the dream of cotton candy and candy apples. As a grown-up, it is a more complex palate… or is it?

Let’s start with this “new to me” item. Tanghulu is a traditional Chinese street snack of skewered fruits coated in a hard, crunchy sugar glaze. The vendor made this look appetizing by displaying skewered fruits that weren’t even what they were serving.

I was excited to get some tropical fruits, but they only offered strawberries, grapes, or the combo of both. This is pretty much a different version of the candy apple. I only ordered it for my daughters because it was almost $13 each.

My 12-year-old, who doesn’t like candy to begin with, said it was good, but too sweet. I enjoyed the rest of what she didn’t eat. I thought it was the perfect amount of sugar coating, given the ratio of small fruits.

My 14-year-old loved hers, but would have liked other fruit options as well. Overall, I think this was a pretty good snack choice. I just wish the price were lower.

Next up came the Fried Pickles. This is a family favorite of ours anywhere we go. These were $10. We had a decent amount for the price. My only complaint was that there was no ranch served alongside these, nor any in a bottle to self-serve. The breading was a tad on the spicy side. Ranch would have made it even better. The pickles were perfectly sliced, not too thick.

I was really torn on what to have for dinner. There are so many delicious choices at the fair. I was in line for tacos when I turned around, and my eyes saw the words “Loaded Grilled Cheese”. More delicious choices to be made at Sattler’s. I ended up with their Grilled PB&J! I was so good.

If you have never made a grilled PB&J at home, you need to try it. It will change your life! I should have tried one of their grilled cheese sandwiches, too. I paid $10 for this. It should have come with a bag of chips on the side for that price.

On a more disappointing note, I had one of the worst donuts of my life. As you recall from my previous reviews, I KNOW DONUTS! I was tricked by Fluffy’s bright colors and pretty-looking donuts on display. I tried the maple bacon. It was the heaviest, densest donut I have ever tasted. The icing was lacking in the main flavor - Maple!

Yes, I have had the famous Peachey’s Amish donut previously. I thought about getting one this year. They had a coconut cream donut advertised, and I regret not getting it. Life lesson: Don’t let the pretty lights and bright colors influence your decisions!

The pizza on a stick was my 14-year-old’s main reason for going to the fair. “It is Yummy!” “Similar to a corn dog”, she warns, “You have to be careful biting around the stick.” It looks plain from the outside. Inside, it is filled with cheese, marinara sauce, and more pepperoni.

Again with the prices, I don’t know that $15 is worth it. I did make my daughter happy, though! Her other choice was the famous Fried Oreos. This was the best deal of the day - 5 Oreos for $7!

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I haven’t had these in a very long time. They were definitely better than the aforementioned donut. I feel like they needed more Oreo flavor somehow. Maybe use double-stuffed? They had more funnel cake flavor than Oreo.

Now for the Grand Finale of my night out. I have always wanted to try the cinnamon rolls. This made up for my disappointing donut decision. I had the Apple Caramel Cinnamon Roll with Icing.

I asked the lady if it was cream cheese icing, and she said yes. However, it only had the sweet vanilla icing flavor. I don't think I'll get the apples next time.

They were diced very small so you would get a good amount to create the perfect bite. Sometimes you just need the O.G. to quench your craving. It was too big to eat in one sitting.

Especially after all of the other treats I indulged in during the day. It was even enjoyable warmed up the following morning with my coffee for breakfast!

I hope you were able to get out to the fair and indulge in your own favorite fair treats. If not, maybe reading this helped fill that void.

As always, check out what other Clay County folks are dining on around town on Facebook at What Clay REALLY Eats!

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In one of the strangest elections in recent memory, the Green Cove Springs establishment was roundly rebuked today, as an 84-year-old retiree walloped two-term City Councilor Ed Gaw.

Tom Centracchio won Council Seat 1 with 556 votes against 322 for Gaw. In terms of percentages, that’s 63 to 34 percent of 892 votes cast. In the context of today’s micro-elections, Centracchio’s victory could be considered a micro-landslide.

In Orange Park, Councilor Doug Benefield held off a challenge by Chuck Linholm, garnering 394 votes to Lindholm’s 352.

Only 12 percent of the electorate in the two municipalities participated. Together, Orange Park and Green Cove have 14,221 voters, according to the Clay County Supervisor of Elections, which provided all the results quoted in this story.

Centracchio, who served in the U.S. Marines as a young man, campaigned as a fiscal conservative, promising to keep tax increases, fees, and utility bills in check.

As of last night, Gaw had not telephoned Centracchio to concede the race.

Gaw Kicked To The Curb By Centracchio

Things began getting weird in Green Cove when Gaw, co-founder of the popular Food Truck Friday, event based his lawn sign campaign on the implied threat that if he lost the race, the city would lose Food Truck Friday. That brought attention to the fact that Gaw had voted to support the event with city funds, even though he owned the event as a business.

This caused a kerfuffle with Gaw claiming that an “ethics complaint” had been filed against him. Gaw’s partner in Food Truck Friday, former Councilor Van Royal, then accused Centracchio of filing the complaint. The partners then cancelled the April Food Truck Friday, that was to have happened 11 days before the election.

Centracchio spent the rest of the campaign denying he had filed an ethics complaint, but he agreed with critics that Gaw should have recused himself from voting on any measure that affected his event business. State officials, meanwhile, said no complaint had been filed.

In the midst of this, Ed Gaw’s brother Dan interjected himself in the election, saying his brother was not fit to serve because he had once stolen Dan Gaw’s identity. Dan Gaw said Ed Gaw had forged Dan Gaw’s renewal papers for a notary public license, which is a felony in Florida.

Ed Gaw’s campaign attributed his brother’s motivation to a family feud, impuigning his motivation but never addressing the underlying accusation.

Then, in a truly strange maneuver, Red’s Wine Bar hosted hip-hop comedian Afroman for three shows on Sunday. The Wine Bar is another Gaw-Royal enterprise, and the Ohio entertainer was on a victory lap after beating a group of police officers in court. The cops had sued him over a music video of Afroman’s hit “Lemon Pound Cake.” The song mocked a mistaken police raid on Afroman’s home.

Gaw was supported by several prominent local businesspeople and former city leaders.

While he was in town, Afroman was videotaped endorsing Gaw for council. Alas, there was no Afroman bump for the Gaw campaign.

Benefield Edges Out Lindholm

In Orange Park, incumbent Doug Benefield defeated a challenge from political newcomer Chuck Lindholm.

A slim margin of 46 votes separated the candidates, and in the end, the questions about a rental property foreclosure and the bad press from a sign theft were too much for Lindholm to overcome.

In all likelihood, Benefield’s victory means the status quo management of the Town of Orange Park’s budget will continue in the near future. High taxes, growing debt, and projects dictated from on high by Rob Bradley and Sam Garrison will continue to dominate the Town Council's time and attention.

But Wait, There’s More…

Along the way, all four candidates or their supporters accused Clay News & Views of bias and secretly campaigning for the other guy whenever we report on something dumb their favorite candidate did.

We wear this as a badge of honor because our duty is to report on newsworthy developments in campaigns, regardless of how they make any particular candidate look.

In other news, there were three initiatives on the ballot for voters in Green Cove Springs to decide:

The voters decided to allow Notaries to administer oaths of office, while declining to allow the City Manager and City Attorney to live outside the city limits.

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Editorial Cartoons

FROM THE TIMES-UNION, 1998

GREEN COVE, POST-FOOD TRUCK FRIDAY

Links to Past Stories

ORANGE PARK

GREEN COVE SPRINGS

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Campaign sign theft is a time-honored tradition in Clay County. This election cycle, former Orange Park Mayor Eugene Nix was caught in the act.

Nix has been pushing hard to elect Chuck Lindholm and oust incumbent Doug Benefield from the Orange Park Town Council. His efforts crossed a line from petty to criminal when the Orange Park Police Department discovered that Nix had stolen one of Benefield’s signs and replaced it with a Lindholm sign.

Rather than prosecute Nix, the Benefield campaign decided not to let a good crisis go to waste and gave information about the heist to News4Jax, who then obtained body-cam footage from the police investigation.

The former Mayor initially denied the theft but later confessed after police obtained video footage of the crime from a nearby security camera.

Eugene Nix last held office in Orange Park in 2018. But ever since then, he has been active on social media, decrying what he believes to be a lack of “public servants” in local politics.

Regardless of the reasons Nix might have, the theft is inexcusable. Even the theft of something as small as a yard sign. It’s also a symptom of the broken political system in Clay County.

Chuck Lindholm was quick to distance himself from the theft, stating that he neither condoned it nor had knowledge of it.

Nix, among others, has been battling the influence of Rob Bradley and Sam Garrison on town politics. Bradley is a former state senator who was succeeded by his wife, Jennifer. Garrison is a member of the Florida House of Representatives and is in line to be Speaker of the House.

Bradley and the Garrison have served the town as lawyers in the past, as they were partners in a law firm until recently. Behind the scenes, they have attempted to place candidates on the Town Council who would be receptive to the policies and initiatives that are supported by Bradley and Garrison.

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The Orange Park Town Council is seen as a stepping stone to other elected offices, and candidates who “kiss the ring” and pledge loyalty to the Bradleys are promised unlimited support for any future run for office. This support comes in many forms, but primarily from the deep pockets of the dark-money Political Action Committees (PACs) controlled by the Bradleys and Garrisons.

Doug Benefield is a candidate supported by Bradley & Garrison. 81% of the funds raised by Benefield have come from PACs tied to Bradley and Garrison. Lindholm has largely self-funded his campaign and has received a handful of donations from town residents.

Lindholm's challenge to his seat on the Town Council turned into the latest proxy war between the Bradleys and the folks who are tired of their influence.

Benefield made sure to publicize the theft and use it to his advantage. On his Facebook page, he wrote about the theft and argued it should be proof that he’s the better choice for Orange Park voters.

The election will be decided this coming Tuesday, April 14th.

The Clay County Sheriff’s Office is asking for the public’s help in locating a missing teenager. 16-year-old Naomi Cernik was last seen in the area of Grand Teton Drive on Wednesday.

Cernik, who is autistic, is believed to be wearing a black hoodie, jeans, and pink shoes. Posts on the Saferwatch app and CCSO’s Facebook page have been updated with photos of Naomi to help the public look out for the missing teen.

If you have any information about Cernik’s whereabouts, please call CCSO at 904-264-6512 or 911.

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Just when folks figured the Gaw vs. Centracchio race for the Green Cove Springs City Council Seat-1 couldn’t get any messier—it did.

The Thou Shalt Nots just keep piling up as neighbors are fussing with neighbors, friends are fussing with friends and tall tales and bald-faced lies—dressed up like scripture—are slapped across Facebook like wallpaper.

Clay News & Views doesn’t have a dog in the fight, a bone to pick or rings to kiss. So, we decided we’d use real documents and in person interviews to clear up a few things even though it’s going to make some folks real uncomfortable—even us.

We’ll stick to just the latest blowups—because at this point chronicling everything that has happened in this race might require several large volumes and a lot of Bible verses.

The Bad

Mr. Dan Gaw came to GCS from Memphis, Tennessee late last month. He’s the brother of Mr. Ed Gaw, sitting council member running for reelection.

The facts about Mr. Dan’s visit got a little lost as conjecture on Facebook and the rumor mill has been full of creative interpretations. Hence, CN&V interviewed Mr. Dan directly on March 21 and obtained documents to separate the real from the ridiculous.

Mr. Dan didn’t come to town for a beer and a campaign pep talk. He came to have his brother arrested.

Documents sent to the Florida’s Attorney General on August 6, 2005 held that Mr. Dan, a certified public accountant and notary public, came from California to Pompano Beach, Florida in 1995 to help Mr. Ed, his brother, with his business, Hi-Liner Fishing Gear and Tackle. Mr. Dan had obtained a Florida Notary to assist with the legal issues to start the business. He left in 1997 and never renewed his notary license.

During the interview, Mr. Dan made it real clear that he holds his Notary Commission as a sacred trust. He noted that notaries play an important role in preventing fraud to ensure that documents are executed properly and hold real legal weight. Mr. Dan (and Google) said if you aren’t honest on your notary application, felony charges of “perjury, fraud and filing a false instruction” can be lodged. The punishment include fines, probation and jail time.

Last July, Mr. Dan checked on the status of his notary license. To his surprise, he saw his Florida Notary had been alive and well, living in Florida without him for 15 years, only expiring in 2012.

He said he had never renewed his license after 1997, but obviously somebody had. Mr. Dan said he panicked because any improper notarization could put both his CPA and notary license in jeopardy and put him in legal trouble. He asked for all documentation of the applications and renewals and was provided with two applications and licenses in 2003 and 2008.

Mr. Dan shared the documents with CN&V. The applications and licenses had his name on them, but Mr. Ed’s then home and business address in Broward County, along with Mr. Ed’s home and business phone numbers in Broward. The place of business was listed as Hi-Liner Fishing Gear and Tackle, his brother’s business.

The applications included a notarized “surety bond,” which guaranteed if Daniel Gaw incorrectly notarized something the insurance company would pay the injured party $7,500. It also included an “Affidavit of Character” signed by Ron Morgan swearing that Mr. Daniel Gaw was “of good character.”

Ron Morgan was Mr. Ed’s employee in Broward at Hi-Liner, moved to GCS at the same time Mr. Ed relocated his business there, and is still an employee of Hi-Liner. The supervisor of elections also listed Morgan as Mr. Ed’s campaign manager for this election.

CN&V attempted to call Mr. Morgan, but he was not available. His wife did offer that neither she, nor her husband, had any knowledge of Ron Morgan’s signature on a notary application.

Mr. Dan said the signatures on the applications were definitely not his and said he’s pretty sure they were forged by his brother. Although CN&V does not have a hand-writing expert on staff, his signature appeared different than the ones on the applications.

In a letter dated July 23, 2025, Mr. Derrick Huckleberry, from the insurance division of the Florida Notary Department, suggested that Mr. Dan consider filing an identity crime report with law enforcement where Ed Gaw and Ron Morgan presently live, then file a claim with Travelers Insurance.

Huckleberry said this would prompt Travelers to “pursue further action.” He also suggested the Attorney General’s Office (AG) be notified because of the identity theft.

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Mr. Dan did notify the AG’s office and they responded on August 28, 2025. They noted that Florida’s theft statute allows cases to be investigated and prosecuted either where the victim lives or “where any element of the crime occurred.”

Since Mr. Ed’s business is now in Green Cove, and he and Morgan both live there, Mr. Dan went to the Green Cove Springs Police Department to file a criminal complaint. He said the police didn’t appear too eager to take a criminal complaint against one of their bosses on the council and instead said he had to file in Broward County where the alleged crime occurred.

An inside law enforcement source told CN&V that local police could have opened a case and investigated the crime.

When CN&V talked with Mr. Ed, he said his brother’s claims were false. He maintained that Mr. Dan was angry about a family matter and started the rumor about his notary theft of identity. Mr. Ed said he had documents from his attorney to disprove the contention and said he would share them to CN&V. He didn’t and after two attempts to remind him, he decided not to provide anything.

“You can take something that happened 20 years ago and make a story out of it, if you like, but I’m done.” countered Mr. Ed.

Facebookers suggest Mr. Tom Centracchio started the whole notary mess for campaign reasons. Centracchio said he didn’t even know Mr. Ed had a brother and he was not in the race when Mr. Dan started his legal inquires and complaints last July.

Mr. Dan said he did request a meeting with Centracchio when he came to town to file charges and spoke to Centracchio about his allegations against Ed Gaw.

“When someone lies and commits a crime, should he be elected to a position of trust?” Mr. Dan asked.

Centracchio said he’s been keeping his mouth shut about the whole thing.

The Mad

The whole brouhaha started when Mr. Ed’s council seat was up for reelection.

Documents show and residents regularly bemoan that GCS is in a real financial mess and many millions in debt. Those in charge of Green Cove’s money for the past ten years seem to have made more bad decisions than a squirrel trying to outrun a pickup truck. And utilities and taxes are skyrocketing to pay for the mishandlings.

Several new council members were shocked into dizziness at some of the 5-0 decisions made on the council dais. Consequently, former members of the council who were there back when the town had a balanced budget and little debt got together with a couple of the newest members. They told CN&V they began to look for someone who had financial knowledge, was willing to run for council and would stop foolish spending so folks could afford meat and medicine again. They found Centracchio.

Centracchio said he intially refused the plea.

“Then God was kicking me in the pants,” remembers Centracchio. “He’d given me good health and happiness and reminded me it was time to give back.”

Centracchio finally agreed to run for the city council.

The Ugly: The Great Food Truck Kerfuffle

Tom Centracchio’s campaign platform has been to bring back financial accountability to GCS with a zero-based budget. Ed Gaw’s is to save Food Truck Friday. Ed Gaw and local realtor and entrepreneur, Van Royal, are the proud founders of FTF.

Centracchio said he’s really confused about Ed Gaw’s campaign promise since he loves FTF and had no idea it needed saving.

Mr. Ed’s not saying anything to CN&V, except “have a good day,” before he hangs up.

The claim that FTF has been hijacked grew legs and is still running naked of facts at council meetings, Spring Park Coffee and the local Winn Dixie, soon to be Aldi. The rumors started after Van Royal sent a letter to council members on March 17.

Royal wrote that Centraccio had spoken of his support of FTF in the past, yet had filed an Ethics compliant with the state regarding the event. Royal said FTF was suspended “for the month of April pending the outcome of the Ethics Complaint filed by Tom Centraccio.” He said he would be notifying the “social outlets” and sponsors to inform them about the cancellation.

Centracchio insisted he didn’t have anything to do with the complaint, but Ed Gaw’s supporters were having none of his denials.

“This is why we can’t have nice thing in Green Cove,” bemoaned one of Mr. Ed’s supporters on Facebook.

CN&V contacted the Florida’s Ethics Commission. A complaint was nowhere to be found.

Centracchio said he phoned Royal to assure him of his support for FTF and that he had made no complaint.

On March 19, Royal sent another letter to the council stating Centracchio denied filing a complaint—but the event was still cancelled.

Van Royal did not return calls from CN&V.

Centracchio said he did complain to the Clay County Supervisor of Elections that Gaw’s signs were in violation of Florida law as they had no disclaimers stating who paid for the signs. Florida statutes say disclaimers must be on both sides of campaign signs.

Centracchio said the elections supervisor agreed Gaw was sideways of Florida’s law and advised him to make a complaint, so he did. The elections office has no punitive power, and simply advises a candidate of an infraction.

Ed Gaw did attach a disclaimer—to one side of some of his signs.

The election is next Tuesday. But with all the fussing, feuding and Facebook fighting, this last week may feel like a whole season.

Centracchio is talking about dollars and good sense. Ed Gaw seems to be keeping his head so low he might as well be looking for lost change. And the Facebook wars continue.

Still, lots of Green Cove folks just hope they make it to the ballot box next Tuesday without having to witness anything that involves crime scene tape.

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Chuck Lindholm is running for Orange Park Town Council, and says supporters of his opponent are spinning the circumstances of a lawsuit to smear him.

Clay News & Views previously reported that Lindholm is being sued over a foreclosure on a rental property in Jacksonville. Lindholm believes we got the details wrong and reached out to clarify.

First, Lindholm advised that the current lawsuit is not a single lawsuit spread out over many years, but rather the latest in a series of lawsuits involving the same property and mortgage.

The previous lawsuits have all been dismissed without prejudice in Lindholm’s favor. In one case, the plaintiff was ordered to reimburse Lindholm for his legal fees in the amount of $37,500.

Mtglq Dismissal 2021

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2018 Mtglq Order Granting Motion For Fees And Costs

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Mtglq 2018 Dismissal

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25 Motion To Dismiss For Fraud On The Court

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Lindholm pointed out that the loan has changed hands between different loan processors over the years, and each new loan processor has taken advantage of Florida law allowing the statute of limitations to be reset in a foreclosure lawsuit.

Here is Lindholm’s letter to Clay News & Views, which is presented without edit:

I was both amused and disappointed to see Clay News publish an article related to an investment property that I’ve owned almost 20 years.

Amused because these types of smears inevitably appear during election season.

Disappointed because Clay News seemingly made so little effort to verify verifiable facts, made no effort to reach me beforehand so I could offer comment; but chose, instead, to write a story that deliberately seemed to omit facts — facts that have been part of the public record for over 15 years.

I’ve been both forthright and transparent in my ownership of this investment. In fact, I freely disclosed ownership in the financial filings that I made with Clay County’s Supervisor of Election months ago when I filed to run for Town Council, Seat 1 in Orange Park.

I’ve nothing to hide.

To the contrary, I’ve fought for more than 15 years in Florida’s Court system -- the saddest fact of all, frankly, if there is any story worth writing truth be told -- to keep ownership of it.

I’ve done nothing wrong.

Verifiable facts:

      1. The article states a Jury Trial is scheduled for April 13. No jury trial has been scheduled. Ever. A simple reading and understanding of the Court record confirms this truth.

A more accurate statement would have been to make note of the endless number of extensions, requests for delay and outright cancellations filed by Plaintiffs over the many years of litigation. It begs the question, really, why would Plaintiffs do this? Presumably as the originator of a lawsuit seeking redress for an alleged injury; surely, wouldn’t they want speedy justice?

      2. The more troubling aspect of the article, though, stemmed from the statement that read “the foreclosure process was halted and restarted several times over the last 12 years”

I have been subject now to 5 legal actions related to this investment. I have prevailed legally in all of them, the current pending case notwithstanding. That’s a win record of 1000% -- 4 for 4.

All these facts are public records.

4 verifiable facts omitted, not referenced, sourced, or published.

Why?

When the word “halted” was used in the statement, was it because of my opponent’s repeated pressure of Clay News to publish anything related to their hyperventilated “oppo research”? All the while not wanting it known that Plaintiff (the party suing me) asked the very Court with whom they filed suit originally, to Dismiss their own case against me?

A Voluntary Dismissal which they asked for, because of their Fraud on the Court?

And not just once. But, a second Voluntary Dismissal again three years later.

Dismissed, not “Halted”

Dismissed twice ... without prejudice.

Without Prejudice -- a legal term for, “Sorry, our bad. Move along”

Dismissed, with Plaintiff being forced to pay my legal fees.

All these facts – in the public record.

All these inconvenient, but verifiable facts omitted, not referenced, sourced or published.

I’ve included them herein for your Clay News readers to read.

I included them too, for my Opponent and his supporters, should they care to know the truth about the litigation, or even more daringly, glimpse briefly at the odious nature and character of their Candidate.

As my Opponent has been apt of late to state, “Lets set the Record Straight.”

Well … there you have it. And no, I’m not suicidal. Wink.

Sad.

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From The Earth To The Moon, Again

For the first time in over 50 years, Americans will venture to the moon. The Artemis II mission launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 1st, 2026. The ten-day mission will send three American and one Canadian astronaut to the moon and back to test the systems and processes that will be used to land on the moon in the coming years.

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40th Annual Clay County Fair Kicks Off

The Clay County Agricultural Fair celebrates its 40th anniversary and runs from April 2nd through April 12th. This year’s theme commemorates the style of the 1980’s when the fair originated.

A press conference was held to share information about tickets and parking.

The main concern stemming from the fair has always been traffic and parking. The fair organizers and Clay County Sheriff’s Office have honed the fair's logistics into a well-oiled machine, and last year, the longest parking wait was only 30 minutes.

This year, the fair will get a little help from the newly constructed First Coast Expressway. Two new exits of the expressway will be opened just in time to help funnel traffic into the fair and keep State Road 16 as clear as possible.

Brush Fire Breaks Out In Middleburg, Causes Bus Delays

On Sunday, a brush fire broke out in the vicinity of County Road 218. The fire was eventually subdued, with no real danger to life or property.

Monday morning, the remnants of the fire covered the roadways in smoke, prompting a caution advisory for drivers making their way to work. The smoke was so prevalent that some Clay County School bus routes were impacted.

Middleburg Man Arrested In Jacksonville Drug Sting

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office is under scrutiny after a Middleburg man was punched in the face during a drug-related arrest.

Dasaun Williams was arrested in November as part of a seven-month undercover drug and gang investigation called “Operation Red Light.”

The Williams family is accusing JSO of using unnecessary force in the arrest after a badge cam of the arrest was published on Instagram.

So, it appears that nobody filed an ethics violation against City Councilor Ed Gaw after all. At a council meeting earlier this month Gaw spoke solemly, announcing that he had consulted with a lawyer because of an ethics complaint over his role as a Food Truck Friday organizer.

Then, former city councilor, Gaw business partner and fellow FTF organizer Van Royal declared that the April 3 Food Truck Friday event had been canceled because of the ethics complaint, which, according to Royal, had been filed by Gaw’s opponent Tom Centracchio.

Except Centracchio filed no such complaint. Apparently, no one did.

Over the weekend, Ed Gaw used the Food Truck Friday Facebook page to make a statement reaffirming that the April event had been “temporarily paused,” which means it won’t happen, so canceled.

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However, this time there was no reference to an “ethics complaint,” which is something that would have to be investigated by a state agency in Tallahasee. Instead, according to Gaw, the issue was “questions regarding the organizational structure” of Food Truck Friday.

“Out of an abundance of caution, and in consultation with counsel, we have temporarily paused the April 3rd event while we review and make any necessary adjustments to ensure full compliance moving forward,” Gaw wrote on Facebook.

According to those familiar with events, the people who questioned Gaw’s behavior included at least one fellow member of the City Council, who had spoken to City Attorney Jim Arnold because Gaw had been voting on matters pertaining to Food Truck Friday, instead of recusing himself.

Centracchio said he was not among those who had raised the issue with Arnold. He agreed, however, that Gaw probably should have refrained from voting on matters that affected Food Truck Friday and also recent upgrades to Walnut Street, where Gaw and Royal own a business together.

It’s not clear how canceling next weekend’s Food Truck Friday could compensate for any past procedural sins, but there is an election to consider on April 14—11 days after the canceled event.

Centracchio has campaigned on keeping taxes low, opposing fee increases and spending less. Gaw, whose incumbency has seen increases in taxes, fees and municipal debt, has campaigned on saving Food Truck Friday.

Gaw may have walked back the “ethics” rhetoric, but his surrogates on Facebook continue to cite the non-existent ethics complaint and blame Centracchio for his non-existent attack on Food Truck Friday (he says he is a FTF supporter himself).

Gaw’s critics say his reelection campaign message is like a hostage situation in which FTF had been threatened with extinction unless enough people vote for Gaw.1

Sign Complaint

In fact, Centracchio did file a complaint against the Gaw campaign, but it was because of an election law violation, nothing to do with ethics.

Even though it is a lesson from Electioneering 101, Gaw’s signs had failed to include the verbiage required under Florida law: "Political advertisement paid for and approved by (name of candidate).”

Once the Gaw campaign realized it was in violation, it had tiny stickers printed with the required disclaimer and went around putting them on the signs that had already been posted.

Podcasts

Hear what each candidate had to say in the podcasts below with Josh Allen.

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Many people are weighing in, and that’s great. Citizens should be involved. I can’t help wondering, though, if people are choosing sides because of the facts, or because of speculation and misinformation. Please let me explain.

I keep reading that our commissioners shouldn’t get a raise because:

They are allowing a crazy rate of growth. I am also concerned with growth. But I know that most of the new developments, especially in the Lake Asbury and Green Cove areas, were “blessed” by master plans many years before our current slate of commissioners took office. Plans that can’t be changed without developers filing lawsuits. That’s a fact.

The First Coast Expressway destroyed some pristine areas, disrupted wildlife and is spurring even more growth. But the toll road was a Florida DOT project, heavily influenced by the development lobby in Tallahassee. County Commissioners don’t control State projects. That’s a fact.

Many road construction/reconstruction projects are seemingly all taking place at once. I drive, so I am affected. But previous Boards of County Commissioners dropped the ball and failed to take advantage of grant money intended to keep up with road improvements.

The current board is “all in” on getting whatever moneys are available and playing catch-up. Yes, construction is inconvenient. But what was the alternative? Continue to ignore our roads?

Many say that “well, being a commissioner is only a part-time job”. Some speculate that commissioners only spend a few hours a week on it. But here is a fact: legislative and budget responsibilities, public safety issues, road and traffic issues, etc. take a lot of time.

Reading, preparation, getting questions answered, talking to citizens, trying to understand different points of view—it all takes time and effort.

We have many large, complex issues in our county. I’m guessing that most, if not all, of our current commissioners spend a lot of time researching, talking to constituents, consulting with county staff, and preparing for meetings. Actual hours, of course, will vary by individual, but I suspect most of them put in quite a few.

The issue isn’t whether county commissioners should be compensated. Of course they should be. The issue is how much compensation is fair. So, how do we determine what is fair? We can start by comparing Clay with other counties.

Our issues are not unique to Clay County. Other counties deal with growth, roads, public safety, environmental services, and a host of other issues. There are 67 Counties in Florida. 20 Counties (including Clay) operate under a Home Rule Charter. What do we see in head-to-head comparisons? Clay County seems to be the only County in Florida where Commissioners’ salaries have been frozen for many years. Clay County Commissioner salaries are among the lowest (and with the recent changes in Miami-Dade) may be THE lowest in Florida.

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Charlotte County, with a population comparable to Clay, pays their commissioners about $87,300. Alachua County, also with a population comparable to Clay, pays their commissioners about $82,930. Liberty County —a County with only 8,500 residents, pays their commissioners about $96,922. Many counties pay their commissioners well over $100,000. These counties didn’t pull these numbers out of a hat. State law defines how those salaries should be calculated—and puts limits on them.

Clay County Commissioners have been locked in at $37,000 for many years. No cost-of-living increases. No adjustments for inflation. How would any of us feel if we had a jobwhere you could never, ever get a raise?

Let’s be real. We can complain, often with justification, about issues in our county. That is our right, and that is fair. But blaming current commissioners for previous commission actions (or lack of) isn’t fair. Keeping our commissioners among the lowest paid in Florida isn’t fair.

We are not seeing cases in Clay County like in Miami-Dade County, where a commissioner was convicted on corruption charges. Or Sumpter County, where two commissioners were charged with perjury.

Or Hillsborough County, where a commissioner was convicted for bribery, mail/wire fraud, conspiracy, and lying to the FBI. Our commissioners, while not perfect, are saints by comparison.

I believe in freedom of speech. I believe all citizens have not only the right, but the obligation to speak up. But I also believe in fairness. Being fair means basing decisions on facts, not speculation or rumors.

And based on facts, I believe our county commissioners deserve to get out of the salary basement and be compensated fairly, and in line with other counties.

—Bruce Reynolds

For weeks, Clay News & Views has been reporting the challenges Clay’s brave fire rescuers are facing—some are working out of fire stations that would likely be condemned in the private sector, and their administrative leaders don’t exactly have a working relationship with good decisions.

With all the doom-and-gloom reported, it seems only fair to celebrate a rare moment of sunshine. And today’s bright spot? Break out the confetti—Acting Fire Chief David Motes has finally located the locator in his county vehicle—and turned it on… at least twice.

The Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) is a GPS-based real-time tracking device installed in county fire rescue emergency vehicles and in those that upper management in the fire department drive full-time. The AVL shows the name of the driver, date, time, vehicle’s location and speed.

County policy says the locators must be on at all times to allow dispatch to know where all resources are positioned, who is in route and where command folks are positioned in case they are needed.

Also, upper management is required to have the locators on to model accountability to the taxpayers and to county fire-rescue crews—the intent of the modeling means that crews and the folks paying the huge salaries of those in fire rescue management can trust that chiefs are earning their pay and not detouring for boiled peanuts again.

Motes’ habit of vanishing with his locator turned off has left everyone routinely playing “Where in the World is Acting Chief Motes?” Some fire rescuers think that Motes’ AVL is generally off due to the fact that he has only skimmed the operating manual; others believe that perhaps he’s doing his personal business on county time so he can accrue lots of sick and personal time to sell back to the county.

A few think that maybe Motes, God love him, needs a lot of “me time” during his workday.

Nevertheless, the good news happened on February 25 when the acting chief’s locator lit up like a Christmas tree, surprising and confusing the heck out fire rescue dispatchers.

The surprising part was that Motes had finally found the switch to his locator.

Some of the confusion was that he was suddenly “running hot” at 93 miles-per-hour toward Putnam County, when his actual job is to back-up Fire Chief Lorin Mock to ensure that stations, crews, trucks and equipment are ready and functioning properly for all emergencies. Once emergency vehicles have been dispatched, a Battalion Chief, who typically oversees the day-to-day operations and major incidents—large structural fires, mass casualties, or hazardous material spills—assumes comand. Clay’s fire chief and acting chief rarely show up in person.

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Adding to the confusion was that Motes was driving like his britches were on fire to a call in another county involving a man stuck in quicksand-like mud at a borrow pit.

According to documentation, despite his excessive speed, Motes was way-late for the party since everybody and their brothers were already on scene—including Putnam County Fire Rescue, Palatka Fire Rescue, Clay County Fire Rescue-Station 15, the Putnam County’s Sheriff’s Office, the press and employees of the borrow pit—all led by a passel of battalion chiefs, captains, and lieutenants from both counties.

Clay’s fire and EMS vehicles have “governors” on their engines. The governor, not the DeSantis kind, limits how fast Clay’s trucks can go to 67 miles-per-hour. The fire chiefs’ vehicles do not have governors.

To add a tad of bad news to the good, for the record, chiefs are not supposed to be driving their take-homes 93 miles-per-hour anywhere—mostly because county policy, state law, and basic common sense all frown on turning an emergency vehicle into a race car, even with “audible and visual signals” (sirens and lights).

Watching his driving habits, some folks swear Motes is most likely practicing for the Daytona 500. They may be on to something. The other time he successfully managed to engage his locator was on October 22, 2025, when he was heading to a car accident on Highway 16 in Green Cove Springs. His AVL showed he was driving 108 miles-per-hour.

Nobody knows where he was when he first heard about the accident, but since it was practically in the shadow of the Fire Rescue headquarters and the county administration building, where he’s known to linger, people are still scratching their heads. Mainly because no one can quite figure out how he found enough open road to build up that kind of speed without taking flight.

But there was more good news, at least for the acting fire chief. Despite reaching speeds usually reserved for airplanes, some county commissioners—who want a big fat raise—the county manager and the fire chief appear to be asleep at the wheel and blissfully unaware of what’s going on under their collective noses—so Motes has escaped any consequences.

It appears that since he’s finally figured out how to turn on his locator switch, he’s devised another method to keep meddlers out of his speeding business. Rescuers say Motes has apparently developed a warm relationship with the county’s IT folks—warm enough that his locator, as of this week, now does not show his speed.

So, after 39 years in Fire Rescue, Motes is living the life surrounded by good news. He’s drawing a paycheck that makes even the real fire chiefs in other Florida counties fan themselves, cruising around Clay County in a free SUV with a locator whose speed indicator has been gagged and he’s running hot in a world where audible and visible grant him full immunity.

Bless his heart!

Resending to add the byline omitted in an earlier version.

For weeks, Clay News & Views has been reporting the challenges Clay’s brave fire rescuers are facing—some are working out of fire stations that would likely be condemned in the private sector, and their administrative leaders don’t exactly have a working relationship with good decisions.

With all the doom-and-gloom reported, it seems only fair to celebrate a rare moment of sunshine. And today’s bright spot? Break out the confetti—Acting Fire Chief David Motes has finally located the locator in his county vehicle—and turned it on… at least twice.

The Automatic Vehicle Locator (AVL) is a GPS-based real-time tracking device installed in county fire rescue emergency vehicles and in those that upper management in the fire department drive full-time. The AVL shows the name of the driver, date, time, vehicle’s location and speed.

County policy says the locators must be on at all times to allow dispatch to know where all resources are positioned, who is in route and where command folks are positioned in case they are needed.

Also, upper management is required to have the locators on to model accountability to the taxpayers and to county fire-rescue crews—the intent of the modeling means that crews and the folks paying the huge salaries of those in fire rescue management can trust that chiefs are earning their pay and not detouring for boiled peanuts again.

Motes’ habit of vanishing with his locator turned off has left everyone routinely playing “Where in the World is Acting Chief Motes?” Some fire rescuers think that Motes’ AVL is generally off due to the fact that he has only skimmed the operating manual; others believe that perhaps he’s doing his personal business on county time so he can accrue lots of sick and personal time to sell back to the county.

A few think that maybe Motes, God love him, needs a lot of “me time” during his workday.

Nevertheless, the good news happened on February 25 when the acting chief’s locator lit up like a Christmas tree, surprising and confusing the heck out fire rescue dispatchers.

The surprising part was that Motes had finally found the switch to his locator.

Some of the confusion was that he was suddenly “running hot” at 93 miles-per-hour toward Putnam County, when his actual job is to back-up Fire Chief Lorin Mock to ensure that stations, crews, trucks and equipment are ready and functioning properly for all emergencies. Once emergency vehicles have been dispatched, a Battalion Chief, who typically oversees the day-to-day operations and major incidents—large structural fires, mass casualties, or hazardous material spills—assumes comand. Clay’s fire chief and acting chief rarely show up in person.

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Adding to the confusion was that Motes was driving like his britches were on fire to a call in another county involving a man stuck in quicksand-like mud at a borrow pit.

According to documentation, despite his excessive speed, Motes was way-late for the party since everybody and their brothers were already on scene—including Putnam County Fire Rescue, Palatka Fire Rescue, Clay County Fire Rescue-Station 15, the Putnam County’s Sheriff’s Office, the press and employees of the borrow pit—all led by a passel of battalion chiefs, captains, and lieutenants from both counties.

Clay’s fire and EMS vehicles have “governors” on their engines. The governor, not the DeSantis kind, limits how fast Clay’s trucks can go to 67 miles-per-hour. The fire chiefs’ vehicles do not have governors.

To add a tad of bad news to the good, for the record, chiefs are not supposed to be driving their take-homes 93 miles-per-hour anywhere—mostly because county policy, state law, and basic common sense all frown on turning an emergency vehicle into a race car, even with “audible and visual signals” (sirens and lights).

Watching his driving habits, some folks swear Motes is most likely practicing for the Daytona 500. They may be on to something. The other time he successfully managed to engage his locator was on October 22, 2025, when he was heading to a car accident on Highway 16 in Green Cove Springs. His AVL showed he was driving 108 miles-per-hour.

Nobody knows where he was when he first heard about the accident, but since it was practically in the shadow of the Fire Rescue headquarters and the county administration building, where he’s known to linger, people are still scratching their heads. Mainly because no one can quite figure out how he found enough open road to build up that kind of speed without taking flight.

But there was more good news, at least for the acting fire chief. Despite reaching speeds usually reserved for airplanes, some county commissioners—who want a big fat raise—the county manager and the fire chief appear to be asleep at the wheel and blissfully unaware of what’s going on under their collective noses—so Motes has escaped any consequences.

It appears that since he’s finally figured out how to turn on his locator switch, he’s devised another method to keep meddlers out of his speeding business. Rescuers say Motes has apparently developed a warm relationship with the county’s IT folks—warm enough that his locator, as of this week, now does not show his speed.

So, after 39 years in Fire Rescue, Motes is living the life surrounded by good news. He’s drawing a paycheck that makes even the real fire chiefs in other Florida counties fan themselves, cruising around Clay County in a free SUV with a locator whose speed indicator has been gagged and he’s running hot in a world where audible and visible grant him full immunity.

Bless his heart!

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The Clay County Charter Review Commission (CRC) met on March 16th and determined that the only action they will take will be their previously proposed ballot measure to triple the pay of the County Commissioners.

The county commissioners currently earn $37,000 per year, and the CRC’s proposal to align their pay with the state’s formula would raise it to more than $100,000.

The only other actions considered were repealing the county charter altogether and decreasing the frequency at which a charter review commission is convened.

The proposal to repeal the county charter was rejected on the alleged grounds that the CRC lacks the legal authority to do so. Several members of the commission believed that only the state legislature could remove the county’s charter.

If true, that would mean a charter designed to give the county autonomy from the state legislature could be repealed only by the very same legislature the charter was designed to shield the county from. This would make it very tenuous to have a charter at all if the state can simply revoke it at any time.

True or not, the commission voted down the proposal to repeal the charter and moved on to the frequency at which the CRC is convened. The proposal was to lengthen the timeframe from every four to every eight years.

This proposal was ultimately rejected because the majority of commission members thought that 8 years was too long to wait to review commissioner pay, possibly hinting that future CRC’s may want to give the County Commissioners even more money.

Given the way this edition of the Charter Review Commission has operated, it might be time to amend the charter to rename it the “Commissioner Pay Increase Commission.”

Only one member of the public at the meeting spoke to the CRC, and he expressed his displeasure with their focus on increasing commissioner pay.

Nearly an hour of the 90-minute meeting was spent discussing what the commission had previously agreed to do: raise commissioner pay. This time around, the discussion focused on putting the bare-minimum language on the ballot without risking a legal challenge.

Several commission members made sure to lament the alleged 80-hour workweeks and nonstop, round-the-clock job responsibilities that commissioners are supposedly subject to for $37,000 a year.

This sentiment persists among CRC members, despite the fact that none of the current County Commissioners have provided evidence of 80-hour workweeks or nonstop phone calls.

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The proposed ballot initiative to amend the charter and increase commissioner pay to over $100k per year now moves to the public comment phase. Anyone who attends the following meetings will have a chance to speak to the CRC:

• April 20, 2026 – 5:00 p.m.

• May 4, 2026 – 5:00 p.m.

• May 18, 2026 – 5:00 p.m.

After those hearings, the finalized ballot language goes to the Board of County Commissioners, which must forward it unchanged to the Supervisor of Elections for the November 2026 ballot.

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This article has been updated to reflect that the current lawsuit is scheduled for a non-jury trial.

Chuck Lindholm is running to unseat Doug Benefield from the Orange Park Town Council. According to court records, he is allegedly facing a foreclosure in Duval County.

Clay News & Views obtained a court filing and a transcript of a deposition pertaining to a rental property owned by Lindholm and his wife. Per the filing, the Lindholms owe over $140,000 on the property.

The lawsuit was filed by Capital Trust II by US Bank, and from its perspective, the story is pretty simple. The Lindholms were given a 2007 loan for the property, which is now serviced by Capital Trust II, and their payments have not consistently been made on time. In fact, the suit claims no payments have been made since 2013.

Chuck Lindholm was deposed in January of 2025, and the 500-plus-page transcript paints a more complicated picture from the Lindholms' perspective.

Chuck Lindholm Deposition Transcript

54.6MB ∙ PDF file

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According to Lindholm's deposition, the loan was originated by Countrywide Home Loans in 2007 and later transferred to Green Tree Servicing LLC in 2011.

Per Lindholm, the issues with the loan originated at that time. He claims Green Tree did not properly apply payments toward the loan and charged late fees and other inappropriate charges.

The issues with the payments and fees ultimately led Lindholm to stop making payments altogether in 2013. Lindolm later discovered that Green Tree was the subject of a class-action lawsuit for the very same type of illegal loan handling that allegedly occurred on his loan.

In 2015, Green Tree was forced to pay $63 million dollars by the Federal Trade Commission “to resolve allegations of illegal, abusive debt collection, and mishandling mortgage modifications.”

Later, as the loan changed hands among financial institutions, the foreclosure process was halted and restarted several times over the last 12 years.

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At an earlier point in the lawsuits' history, a mediated agreement was reached, and for a short period, the Lindholms resumed payments on the loan. After a short time, the payments stopped, as the Lindholms allege that once again, the payments they were making were not being properly applied to the loan balance.

Ultimately, Lindholm and the various lenders were unable to reach a settlement. The lawsuit is scheduled for a non-jury trial on April 13.

Clay News & Views contacted Lindholm for comment, but did not receive a response by the time of publishing.

Food Truck Friday may be an election issue today, but since its creation in 2018, it’s been a roaring success overall. So much so that people forget that the Green Cove Springs signature event had come on the heels of an infamous food-truck incident, which became a national symbol of government imbecility.

Hurricane Irma had struck Green Cove on September 10, 2017 and the next day the city was a mess. Power was out, and there were downed trees all over the place.

One man with a food truck—Triple J Barbecue—decided to set up in downtown to feed first responders and utility crews—for free. “Anybody in a utility vehicle we would feed for free. If they came in a utility vehicle, they were going to eat,” Jack Roundtree later said.

Roundtree had barely set up his food truck in at the old Rich’s restaurant parking lot in Green Cove Springs. Local residents, robbed of electricity by Hurricane Irma, were just lining up for hot barbecue lunches, when two police cruisers pulled into the parking lot.

The officers told Roundtree to pack up and leave. City manager’s orders, they said. Roundtree didn’t have a permit, and he was feeding people unlawfully.

This was during the era of mayors Palm Lewis and Mitch Timberlake. Danielle Judd was the city manager. These folks were trying to erase the city’s old “Little Detroit” nickname from its car dealership days, and anything on four wheels and not moving was the enemy.

Irma had destroyed or heavily damaged at least 450 Clay County homes, wrecked roads and sent nearly 900 residents emergency shelters, and yet City Manager Judd had made it a priority to send police to shut down a food truck.

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Mayor Timberlake famously defended the decision, saying he did not consider Roundtree’s gesture “a Good Samaritan situation.”

According to Timberlake, had the operators of the food truck come to city officials and asked for permission, officials would have been happy to direct the food truck to where utility workers were in need of food. “That didn’t happen,” he said.

Yeah. No.

Had Roundtree decided to press his case at City Hall, he would have been greeted with a sign that read: “Due to Hurricane Irma, City Hall offices and services will re-open on Thursday.”

The owner of a now-defunct downtown restaurant had complained about Triple J, even though his restaurant wasn’t even open, let alone providing free food to linemen.

Timberlake’s 15 minutes of fame came and went. The “Good Samaritan” quote was recorded in an interview with Reason. a Libertarian leaning magazine. Libertarian political philosophy holds that government is an ass in the best of times, and the City of Green Cove had just provided a worst-case scenario.

Timberlake also told Reason that a disaster response was not the time to be feeding people:

“He is a commercial food truck operator, and he knows the local ordinances for food truck operation and had a responsibility to reach to the city to get a permit for what he wanted to do,” Timberlake says. “We don’t prohibit food trucks. There are times and places where we welcome them.”

The aftermath of a devastating hurricane is not one of those times. Timberlake spoke of the “tremendous debris” in the wake of the storm, and 90 percent of the city was without power. More than 100 trees were down across the city and extensive property damage to homes along the St. Johns River, which flows past the city. Half of the city was still without power Wednesday when the Triple J’s food truck got the boot.

With all of those challenges, it was remarkable city officials and police could maintain their focus on rules protecting unsuspecting hurricane victims from a hot meal on wheels. And quite a feat for a restaurateur to look past the devastating damage to track down city officials (city hall was closed; they were operating from an emergency management shelter) and rat out one lousy food truck.

It wasn’t just Reason. The Institute for Justice, The Daily Caller, Investor’s Business Daily The American Enterprise Institute, the Free Thought Project and even American Military News picked up the story. You might say that the incident put Green Cove on the map.

Timberlake’s astonishing defense incensed enough Libertarian types that the phones started ringing at city hall. The callers were not friendly.

At the time, Ed Gaw was observing this bizarre sequence from his perch on the city’s Planning & Zoning Board. The following year, he organized the first Food Truck Friday series. Gaw went on to become a city councilor in 2020 and later denied that his FTF initiative had been an attempt to atone for one of the greatest public-relation disasters in this region’s modern history.

In June 2020, Florida legislators passed a law forbidding cities and towns from restricting food trucks in their jurisdictions beyond the rules already set out by the state.

A judge in Broward County has ruled red light cameras unconstitutional. Green Cove Springs and Orange Park rely heavily on the cameras for revenue, and the ruling has cast doubt on their future.

The ruling has also created confusion for people who have recently received red light tickets. There is no clear direction in the judge’s ruling to state or local governments on whether tickets must be paid.

While Judge Steven P DeLuca’s ruling specifically voids the red light camera ticket of the driver who challenged it, it provides no further instructions for anyone else who receives a ticket. Nor does it provide any specific instructions to municipalities currently using red-light cameras.

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Since their inception in 2010, red light camera infractions have resulted in over $1.2 billion in fines, with the proceeds split mostly between the state of Florida and the municipalities that have the cameras installed.

Given the substantial amount of money coming from the cameras, it is almost certain the ruling will be challenged by the state. Additionally, the ruling exposes flaws in how traffic infractions are handled in Florida.

Judge DeLuca highlights that though traffic infractions are considered civil, they are adjudicated in a “quasi-criminal” manner. The cases are labeled as “State of Florida v. Defendant” and end with a finding of guilty or not guilty. A determination of guilt requires proof beyond a “reasonable doubt.”

Guilty verdicts are permanently part of the driver’s record, and unpaid fines lead to suspension of driving privileges. All of these are hallmarks of criminal cases, not civil infractions, per Judge Deluca.

Popular legal YouTuber Steve Lehto covered the verdict and its implications in a recent video:

Lehto suggests that motorists in Florida who are facing a red-light camera fine might have luck defending themselves by presenting Judge DeLuca’s ruling to the court adjudicating their case. But as a single ruling on one district of the state is not binding statewide, there are no guarantees.

In Florida, traffic citations are administered to the person driving the vehicle. In comparison, red-light camera citations are issued to the vehicle owner, who must either admit they were driving or submit an affidavit to the court naming the driver. Per the judge, this constitutes an illegal attempt by the state to force an accused person to prove their innocence.

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DeLuca also called out the fact that a person could conceivably incur an infinite amount of red-light infractions with no consequence other than the monetary fines. No matter how many times a person runs a red light, no points are assessed to their license, and their driving privileges are never suspended.

Judge DeLuca Red Light Ruling

3.03MB ∙ PDF file

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Ultimately, it will take further clarification through the appellate courts and additional legal challenges to determine what the future holds for red-light cameras in Florida.